Page 14 - DiaryofahorseBookbyKarlR1

SOUTHEAST – Veterans suffering from PTSD are gaining a
new lease on life thanks to Pegasus, a unique program
that uses horses to connect with those in need of support.

On Thursday, nine vets became the second graduating
class of the five-week Equus Effect program at the Pega-
sus Therapeutic Riding Academy located just north of the
Putnam-Westchester County line in Southeast.

Sophia Rosenbloom, instructor at the Pegasus Center,
described horses as “amazing creatures. They are feed-
back machines by teaching us to become aware of our
bodies and emotions just by giving off energy that we are
unaware of. Our students work with the horses observing
how they may become wild or nervous. The horse assess-
es its environment and often immediately returns to its
L-R: John Bourges, Peter Allegretta and Karl Rohde with Bo, one of the thera-
grazing. Humans learn from the horses which assist with
peutic horses
the individual’s emotions.”

Rosenbloom said the result was that the “human becomes more attached with himself. Should an individual become upset, the
horse detects that. Our primary offering is a peer-to-peer program with our facilitators, horses and other vets who work as a team
to accelerate the journey home to family and community.”

The program’s five-session curriculum is designed to introduce the principles of natural horsemanship as a way to help vets gain
the trust, respect and willingness to collaborate from those with whom they live and work.
“We and our equine partners demonstrate the value of using finesse versus force and cooperation versus control by believing if
veterans can learn to use emotions the way horses do – as information to help them stay alive, set healthy boundaries, support
one another in times of need – there would be no need to stay stuck in the stories we often tell about what we might have done
differently in the past or what may or may not happen in the future,” said Rosenbloom.
Not only veterans are benefiting from the unique program. Rosenbloom said crime victims or others having gone through major
trauma are helped by learning coping skills by working with the horses.
Karl Rohde, Director of the Putnam Veterans Affairs agency, himself a PTSD victim, graduated at the top of his class Thursday.

“I never thought that I would have a connection with a horse. Bo and I became like old friends sharing memories. As I groomed Bo,
he shyly looked back at me and shook his head. Bo was expressing subtle emotions. He moved his massive body to get closer. He
moved his body slightly which was comforting to both of us,” said the Silver Star recipient who served in Vietnam.

Peter Allegretta graduated from the first class several months ago. The resident of Southeast described the program as “one of the
most worthwhile initiatives I have ever been involved with. I hadn’t been sleeping well for years until my enrollment in the Equus
Effect. I now sleep like a baby! What is so amazing is that I never rode a horse, let alone touched one. To be in sync with these ani-
mals is incredible. It appears as though they are reading your mind.”|

John Bourges, coordinator of the Joseph Dwyer Vet2Vet program, also completed the course.
“I wish I could put the benefits of this program into words,” he said, adding, “This was an amazing experience that an individual
must face firsthand. Horses are amazing animals and the people at Pegasus are positively awesome and so dedicated. No one tells
a client that he or she is broken or that anything is wrong with them. The patient and the horse develop an amazing connection.”
( This article and picture by Eric Gross appeared in the Mid Hudson News and the Putnam County Courier)